Ask Vinnie hopes to open for Styx concert

    For Jeff "Vinnie" Mooradian,  playing as the opening act for classic rock legend Styx would mark a milestone for his band of seven friends from Dodge City.
    The classic-rock cover band Ask Vinnnie, which has become well known to area residents over the past five years, is a staple of the local club scene. Now, as the band enters  a battle of the bands competition Saturday in Garden City, Mooradian's hoping his group can win it all: A chance to open for Styx at their Garden City concert Sept. 6.
    Mooradian said the battle is sponsored by Mosaic, an Omaha, Neb.-based charity dedicated to serving people with developmental disabilities.
    Close to 15 bands submitted demo tapes to a listening forum, which then chose nine bands to take the stage at the Clarion Inn Hotel in Garden City. Each person who pays for a $10 ticket will be given one vote, with the winner getting to open the Sept. 6 show.
    "We really hope to win," Mooradian said. "That would be a huge milestone for the band."
    Because the majority of the band members grew up at a time when Styx was a force to be reckoned with on the rock scene, Mooradian said it would be a great chance to work with a band most of the group looked up to.
    Bill Knight, who helped organize the event, said it will bring in bands from four states: Kansas, Texas, Colorado and Oklahoma. To choose the nine bands, Knight said a group of people sat down last Wednesday and listened to mailed-in demo tapes to select the best.
    "It was an incredibly tight contest," he said. "Logistically, it would have been impossible to have all the bands perform."
    Local DJs will also compete at the same time, emcee-ing the event in the hopes of winning the chance to be master of ceremonies for the Styx concert.
    Knight said the winners are expected to be announced by 11 p.m. Saturday at the latest.
    Mooradian said he would encourage all local and regional Ask Vinnie fans to try and make it out to Garden City so the band could win the battle.

Reach Mark Vierthaler at (620) 408-9932 or e-mail him at mark.vierthaler@dodgeglobe.com.